Daily Republican., 1887-12-27
TALKsON THE TARIFF.


The New York Press sage: Tho Press
tarif talk c5mss to-day from the busy
centre OF Patersol, N. j., and q sound,
senSolo talk IL is. IT. certainly ought
70 interest operatives In the elk mills Of
mat city, for IL shoWe Row much the
iate OF thtir wages dopeaGs upon the
rate of customs duties. IL also brings
out the necessity Of working people
co1lng 10 the front them sci ~ to main.
lain fair rats OF wages. Toe writer,
Nj samuel ~. Terry 10 practical mau
himself hnd knows what he Is talking
about
"R,aiug Gu. on toe Patterson cars q
few days ago ] sat beside an old nc
quRlntsnc n silk manufacturer, . DO.
mostic iudusiry with whioh | wRs for
many years closely asso lated, and still
take q deep intErtst In, though not pc
cuniariiy. Naturally our conversation
turned TO the Presidents message and
TO the effect y further reduction Of tbs
duties would have or the silk interest.
Sad he: Speaking for IN yself. while
] would regrat to see any further dis
iur5aEce OF the tariff, for the sake Of
| tue work people, / confess Its agitation
hss not tho terrors for ma It once had.
hnh practically the whole matter re-
solves itself into question Of wages.
Many OF as thought we should be ruined
when the duty WAS reduced from 81 to
20 per cent, but II has sim ply resulted
IN a proportiouate reduction OF waasp.'
How do your operatives bear with
thatf' I asked.
1.-THE Rrunble, OF con'ss,' ha an
swsTed, bat 6ti!l they aaldom look into
the real cau,o for the reduction. You
bse wages ara up AMI down witch us, as
trade Is active or dull. Sometimes for
a long period We have ths market Tn
ourselves, aid wages are up thon. as
the operatives ore in demand and can
in a LnessuEa fix thelr own pricss, an!
jhey obtain Lesyly or quite old TINT
prices ~ under ;ha 60 psr cent. dUJy
TbaE comes IN in0ux OF foreign gOCds
rad competition with these tollOwI
that nay run one or Two SessicD5
Daring sgch peii0ds We csunot maxi
sny money, md keep our mlll ruunin.
. +, IEo;e 10 hnap cur busiDess o0nRacdon
lut.ct aud our hands together than TO
aaY pF9dt Ne get
.StcgsssItly The hands have 30 accep
: low wages. What ois9 oau they -
' They must live. Nov ;his means 'o7
wsge8 about one half the time aud goo
!. wagsr ihe other half. Uudsr the 60 pc
!, cert. duty It was 5000 wcges thco,
J, sCurti OF the tine or more, sni los
: wa2cs were tho exception. A furthg
;. reduction OF the duty NSogd Gimp.y &c
crease the proportional length Of q
nerlod OF 10 y ~REer, 60 that luT wage
4 t,a hf. La o. al nTIf
o ap1-,s Of o1sinsas when good wsG,
n aould % paid the exception.
'Thia IL necessarily 80. A mani
lac.urer cspnot be expected to msa
! goods without n living pcnht. Tbs CO
y. u bis plant is tiLed re.cehtage on u
cost OF HE production, fer though tn
- risga al falls the maIGiscsu. goo,
Il also Iis9 and fail very regularly vii
!, il. So there is renlly ca!y the lah
put on the goods that is a0mptassib!
be When the fcrs!2n com npe'ilijn re' ue'
Y our pro.tg to 1othiDa The VOrkiugr ct
rs wages must hs req Iced 10 40 pol
thac viii lcaTe ue q nroit either !
n taslr voluntary sct Or o2 II Cessation
N WORK TIL ihsy are willing to aGat
10 such wages M Will leave Us pT1t
Many prefer the fo!mer, Particular
: Ihoss doing piece cork, snd than stri
q by working harder to turn cut mo
= work than before. In toms depB
Y meuts ws ara now getting this pic
y " ork done q; 20 TO 80 per cont. or nc
below tha prices of FIVE yearo back, Al
yet by greGtel industry the wcrkmer
days wages are often aa great al Il
merly.'
"'With these views l renarEt
you do not in nterest yourSeif much as
whether the present protection CONF
uss or not.
az certainly feel AN iaterest in ct
tiuuing the protection. for every char
oi the kind dlstasbeS busineaa fol
timo III wages ara adjusted to
needs OF the situatioa. Bat, stei
FROM past experience that it Ia
working people who hsys TO bar
brous OF the disaster, and kno%ing,
, do, that II is their votes Cor tho vo
/. Of tEa;r iathtrs and brothers, Who're,
In our case, many Of the workeIs
women) which put IN ctiioe tho II
who 10 now s1rgmC't In tbis crusi
agninbt protecting their lsbo:, cam
cake the interest In IL once d,d.'
were drawing nsaE to our Gestinali
our talk ended; but IL lett mo conYla
that The working classes uust come
the front and fght tooir owh battle
trey want 10 maintain d fair ratR
waGes."